Lueck-Mammen ’19, Kosmo ’19 Win CEB Legal Research and Writing Award

Berkeley Law – By Andrew Cohen

Dana Lueck-Mammen ’19 and Trevor Kosmo ’19 recently won the annual Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB) Award for Excellence in Legal Research and Writing at Berkeley Law. During a luncheon ceremony, each received a framed certificate and a $2,500 check from Stephanie Walker, CEB’s Product Strategy and Innovation Manager.

CEB is a joint committee of the University of California and the State Bar of California that provides practice guides, continuing education, and other professional resources to state bar members. It established the award to honor Berkeley Law students who demonstrate outstanding performance in the school’s Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing Program.

Lueck-Mammen, Kosmo, and 10 classmates became eligible for the award last spring after receiving Best Brief honors in their first-year Written and Oral Advocacy sections. The other Best Brief winners were Zoe Beiser, Caitlin Boucher, Amy Collier, Emily Hren, Annie Lee, Daniel Myerson, Kristina Sinclair, Erica Sun, Jordan Varberg, and Jessica Zausmer.

Like all first-year students at Berkeley Law, the Best Brief winners first completed the Legal Research and Writing class during their fall semester. The class teaches students how to read cases, research legal problems, choose precedent, and write legal memoranda on topics involving state and federal law.

During the spring Written and Oral Advocacy course, students learn more advanced research techniques and how to write a brief. After receiving a hypothetical case based on a federal issue, they research the case law and submit briefs. The students then argue their position in a moot court setting. Kosmo (taught by Professor Michelle Cole) and Lueck-Mammen (taught by Professor Patricia Plunkett Hurley) conveyed deep appreciation for the training they received.

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